Effects of age on color preference for black and white by infants and young children.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether age influenced preference for the colors black and white by infants and young children. The investigator administered a color-preference test to 160 subjects who attended day-care centers and who ranged in age from 6 mo. to 4.5 yr. There were equal numbers of males and females and equal numbers of Afro- and Euro-American subjects. Ages of the subjects were controlled so there were 20 subjects in each 6-mo. age interval. Data were obtained from a 12-term test in which pairs of toys were presented to each subject. The toys were identical except that one was black and the other was white. The toy the subject selected was considered the subject's preference and the color of that toy was recorded. Results of a chi-squared test and of an analysis of variance indicated that, as a group, age affected color preference. A pro-black bias was found for the younger children. The findings suggest that color preference of infants and young children is not the same as for older children and adults.